Medical anxiety blood test or not

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Advise please.
Teen is due to have blood tests tomorrow. Extreme medical anxiety.
Been waiting several weeks for tests for symptoms ongoing for months. Symptoms have improved greatly in last week or so.

Teen is so anxious from previous blood test trauma
I don't know if we should just cancel test as symptoms have improved or force the issue causing more anxiety and trauma.

How do you practically even get someone to have a blood test if the refuse

I wouldn’t cancel I would prefer to be sure. Sometimes symptoms can improve for a bit but then worsen again.
I would calmly explain the importance (in non negotiable way) but with all understanding noises and a promise of something desirable.
Offer to be with them all the way and hold their hand. Remind them something from the past when they were scared but managed to overcome it.

I'd do the blood test honestly. Like it's difficult, but a weeks improvement on months of symptoms isn't much. If they had had bad symptoms for a few months and then a couple of months improvement fair enough, but a week? That could be coincidence! Hopefully it isn't, but getting to a point where they didn't have the blood test, had another week of improvement, then another few weeks of it as bad or worse than before, then had to have another appointment, another referral for a blood test, another few weeks of bad symptoms waiting for the test, and then still had to actually go through the test, and be ill again while waiting for results/treatment etc? Not worth it just to avoid the trauma of the original test because they might not need it!

I’d tell the staff how anxious they are, and also ask for emla cream to numb the skin slightly - it won’t be totally pain free but should take the edge off. I agree I would go ahead as if they’ve got so worked up about it, decide not to have the tests done, and the the symptoms get worse or flare up, they will have to go through all the anticipation again.

I second Emla cream as @ThisCatCanHop advised. In our area you ask GP to prescribe it and then apply yourself beforehand as per instruction. If you go to a children ward for a test they will do it but some teens feel worse waiting in the ward (mine certainly does) so it’s better to do cream at home and cut waiting time at the hospital.

We have emla cream.

I'm not sure if sedation will be an option at appointment. This has been used in past but for a different procedure.

I just don't know how they will even get near teen based in previous experiences. when they were younger they could be held but not an option now.

We have tried the reward things for after but even the thing I know they really want isn't working. They have just decided they don't want it if it means blood test.

I wonder if some sort of app might help - I have in mind one that helps with anxiety via calming/breathing exercises. It would give her something to focus on and also a “reason” why she is now ok with blood tests iyswim.

If teen has had previous trauma from
medical treatment, have you looked at any therapy? If it’s trauma-based, EMDR or CBT might work, or at least help. If it is anxiety-based, CBT might be a better option, although if teen is neurodivergent (you don’t say and I’m not assuming, just mentioning it), then CBT may be less effective - some people get on with it and some people don’t. But it could be worth a try regardless as it sounds like this is really traumatic for them.

Thank you
Teen is autistic. Getting any support has been difficult through. I will look into EMDR.

We have asked GP and pediatrician for support but nothing yet. Will contact again

This might not help as you might not get this far but I have rubbish veins from previous trauma as a child and have to have lots of blood tests. Recently they've been using butterfly canulas instead of the bigger vacuum needle thing and it's been a game changer, my last one on Monday I genuinely didn't feel a thing - painful or otherwise.

Is there anything distracting they could listen to/watch with big over ear noise cancelling earphones and an ipad or similar? And be laid down rather than on a chair? Thinking of all things we had to employ for DS - who famously screamed the hospital down aged 7 as 2 HCAS held him down for important allergy related blood tests ('Get these women off me!')

PS he's 20 and now a fainter which they think is related to shock/trauma hence the lying down suggestion